A store that sells new husbands has opened in New York City , where a woman may go to choose a husband. Among the instructions at the entrance is a description of how the store operates:
You may visit this store ONLY ONCE! There are six floors and the value of the products increase as the shopper ascends the flights. The shopper may choose any item from a particular floor, or may choose to go up to the next floor, but you cannot go back down except to exit the building!
So, a woman goes to the Husband Store to find a husband. On the first floor the sign on the door reads:
Floor 1 -
These men Have Jobs
She is intrigued, but continues to the second floor, where the sign reads:
Floor 2 -
These men Have Jobs and Love Kids.
'That's nice,' she thinks, 'but I want more.'
So she continues upward. The third floor sign reads:
Floor 3 -
These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, and are Extremely Good Looking.
'Wow,' she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going.
She goes to the fourth floor and the sign reads:
Floor 4 -
These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Good Looking and Help
With Housework.
'Oh, mercy me!' she exclaims, 'I can hardly stand it!'
Still, she goes to the fifth floor and the sign reads:
Floor 5 -
These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Gorgeous, Help with
Housework, and Have a Strong Romantic Streak.
She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the sixth floor, where the
sign reads:
Floor 6 -
You are visitor 31,456,012 to this floor. There are no men on this floor. This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please. Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store.
PLEASE NOTE:
To avoid gender bias charges, the store's owner opened a New Wives store just across the street.
The first floor has wives that love sex.
The second floor has wives that love sex and have money and like beer.
The third, fourth, fifth and sixth floors have never been visited.
Friday, January 08, 2010
Why I have a tool shed
(Courtesy of Ian)
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I'll wager that everyone that reads this is having a least a small chuckle by the end if not a rousing belly laugh.
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I'll wager that everyone that reads this is having a least a small chuckle by the end if not a rousing belly laugh.
Why I don't live in England
The list is actually quite long, it includes but by no means limited to: -
2) Knife crime
3) Gun crime
4) Home owners jailed for protecting their own homes (what happened to an Englishman's home is his castle?)
5) Road rage
6) Road congestion
7) Expensive - high cost of living
8) High Taxes
The list goes on and on quite frankly...and yes I know that there are a lot of great things about living there too and I know the standard retort "When you weigh up the good and the bad then there's no better place to live". This of course is the standard line from anyone that hasn't spent time living in other countries where: -
2) violent crime is a rarity and is still shocking to the general public
3) attack someone that breaks into your home and you get a medal
4) run a snatch thief down with your car and you get a medal, a reward and your car fixed
5) Road rage is a rarity (to be honest that's because everyone drives badly so no one gets too upset when they get cut up or someone pushes in)
6) Minimal congestion and certainly nothing compared to the M25
7) Inexpensive to the point that everyone has domestic help including the domestic help
8) Low taxes
But all this aside there is a number 1 on my list (I didn't forget it) and it's the weather. The picture below says it all. Picturesque yes, but believe me you don't want to live there - you think February is the shortest month? No no no no, live in England and February feels like it will never ever ever end.
Don't get me wrong, I love England I really do and I might move back there one day WHEN THEY FIX THE WEATHER. In the meantime give me Malaysia any day, or Thailand...you get the idea.
(Picture courtesy of the BBC)
2) Knife crime
3) Gun crime
4) Home owners jailed for protecting their own homes (what happened to an Englishman's home is his castle?)
5) Road rage
6) Road congestion
7) Expensive - high cost of living
8) High Taxes
The list goes on and on quite frankly...and yes I know that there are a lot of great things about living there too and I know the standard retort "When you weigh up the good and the bad then there's no better place to live". This of course is the standard line from anyone that hasn't spent time living in other countries where: -
2) violent crime is a rarity and is still shocking to the general public
3) attack someone that breaks into your home and you get a medal
4) run a snatch thief down with your car and you get a medal, a reward and your car fixed
5) Road rage is a rarity (to be honest that's because everyone drives badly so no one gets too upset when they get cut up or someone pushes in)
6) Minimal congestion and certainly nothing compared to the M25
7) Inexpensive to the point that everyone has domestic help including the domestic help
8) Low taxes
But all this aside there is a number 1 on my list (I didn't forget it) and it's the weather. The picture below says it all. Picturesque yes, but believe me you don't want to live there - you think February is the shortest month? No no no no, live in England and February feels like it will never ever ever end.
Don't get me wrong, I love England I really do and I might move back there one day WHEN THEY FIX THE WEATHER. In the meantime give me Malaysia any day, or Thailand...you get the idea.
(Picture courtesy of the BBC)
Thursday, January 07, 2010
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Blonde Logic
(Courtesy of Ian)
BLONDE LOGIC
Two blondes living in Townsville were sitting on a bench talking........
And one blonde says to the other, "Which do
You think is farther away.......... Melbourne or the moon?"
The other blonde turns and says "Helloooooooooo, can
You see Melbourne ...?????"
CAR TROUBLE
A blonde pushes her BMW into a gas station. She tells the
Mechanic it died.
After he works on it for a few minutes, it is idling smoothly. She
Says, "What's the story?"
He replies, "Just crap in the carburetor"
She asks, "How often do I have to do that?"
SPEEDING TICKET
A police officer stops a blonde for speeding and asks her very
nicely if he could see her license.
She replied in a huff, "I wish you guys would get your act
together. Just yesterday you take away my license and then
Today you expect me to show it to you!"
RIVER WALK
There's this blonde out for a walk. She comes to a river and sees
another blonde on the opposite bank. "Yoo-hoo!" she shouts,
"How can I get to the other side?"
The second blonde looks up the river then down the river and
Shouts back, "You ARE on the other side."
AT THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE
A gorgeous young redhead goes into the doctor's office and said
that her body hurt wherever she touched it.
"Impossible!" says the doctor. "Show me."
The redhead took her finger, pushed on her left breast and
screamed, then she pushed her elbow and screamed in even
more. She pushed her knee and screamed; likewise she
pushed her ankle and screamed. Everywhere she touched
made her scream.
The doctor said, "You're not really a redhead, are you?
"Well, no" she said, "I'm actually a blonde."
"I thought so," the doctor said. "Your finger is broken"
BLONDE ON THE SUN
A Russian, an American, and a Blonde were talking one day. The
Russian said, "We were the first in space!" The American said, "We were
the first on the moon!"
The Blonde said, "So what? We're going to be the first on the sun!"
The Russian and the American looked at each other and shook their
heads. "You can't land on the sun, you idiot! You'll burn up!" said
The Russian.
To which the Blonde replied, "We're not stupid, you know. We're
going at night!"
IN A VACUUM
A blonde was playing Trivial Pursuit one night. It was her turn.
She rolled the dice and she landed on Science & Nature. Her
question was, "If you are in a vacuum and someone calls your
name, can you hear it?"
She thought for a time and then asked, "Is it on or off?"
PET BLONDE
A girl was visiting her blonde friend, who had acquired two
new dogs, and asked her what their names were. The blonde
responded by saying that one was named Rolex and one
was named Timex.
Her friend said, "Whoever heard of someone naming dogs like
that?"
"HELLLOOOOOOO......," answered the blonde.
"They're watch dogs!"
BLONDE LOGICTwo blondes living in Townsville were sitting on a bench talking........
And one blonde says to the other, "Which do
You think is farther away.......... Melbourne or the moon?"
The other blonde turns and says "Helloooooooooo, can
You see Melbourne ...?????"
CAR TROUBLE
A blonde pushes her BMW into a gas station. She tells the
Mechanic it died.
After he works on it for a few minutes, it is idling smoothly. She
Says, "What's the story?"
He replies, "Just crap in the carburetor"
She asks, "How often do I have to do that?"
SPEEDING TICKETA police officer stops a blonde for speeding and asks her very
nicely if he could see her license.
She replied in a huff, "I wish you guys would get your act
together. Just yesterday you take away my license and then
Today you expect me to show it to you!"
RIVER WALK
There's this blonde out for a walk. She comes to a river and sees
another blonde on the opposite bank. "Yoo-hoo!" she shouts,
"How can I get to the other side?"
The second blonde looks up the river then down the river and
Shouts back, "You ARE on the other side."
AT THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE
A gorgeous young redhead goes into the doctor's office and said
that her body hurt wherever she touched it.
"Impossible!" says the doctor. "Show me."
The redhead took her finger, pushed on her left breast and
screamed, then she pushed her elbow and screamed in even
more. She pushed her knee and screamed; likewise she
pushed her ankle and screamed. Everywhere she touched
made her scream.
The doctor said, "You're not really a redhead, are you?
"Well, no" she said, "I'm actually a blonde."
"I thought so," the doctor said. "Your finger is broken"
BLONDE ON THE SUN
A Russian, an American, and a Blonde were talking one day. The
Russian said, "We were the first in space!" The American said, "We were
the first on the moon!"
The Blonde said, "So what? We're going to be the first on the sun!"
The Russian and the American looked at each other and shook their
heads. "You can't land on the sun, you idiot! You'll burn up!" said
The Russian.
To which the Blonde replied, "We're not stupid, you know. We're
going at night!"
IN A VACUUM
A blonde was playing Trivial Pursuit one night. It was her turn.
She rolled the dice and she landed on Science & Nature. Her
question was, "If you are in a vacuum and someone calls your
name, can you hear it?"
She thought for a time and then asked, "Is it on or off?"
PET BLONDE
A girl was visiting her blonde friend, who had acquired two
new dogs, and asked her what their names were. The blonde
responded by saying that one was named Rolex and one
was named Timex.
Her friend said, "Whoever heard of someone naming dogs like
that?"
"HELLLOOOOOOO......," answered the blonde.
"They're watch dogs!"
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Perfect debut for Williams
(Courtesy of Sam and Mike - seen yesterday in the Star Newspaper)
IT was a memorable debut for Christopher Micheal Williams in the final leg of the Trikidz triathlon at the public pool in Putrajaya recently.
The 14-year-old from Alice Smith School clocked 35:21 to win the 300m swim, 10km cycle race and 3km run course in the boys’ 13 to 15 years category.
After a neck-and-neck contest against the runner-up Rikigoro Shinzuka in the 10km cycle race, Williams pulled away in the final running discipline and left Rikigoro trailing.
Rikigoro settled for second spot (35:54) while Mohd Zhairen Manam Zulkarnain came in third (37:18).
Pulling away: Williams moving ahead of his challengers in the final running leg.
Williams said he was satisfied in scoring an unexpected victory over the two other more experienced competitors.
“We have been training together and we knew it was going to be a tough fight for the top three positions. I came out from the water fourth before moving up to the front of the pack in the third lap of the six-lap cycling segment. I felt the fatigue at the end of the running leg. But, I am glad that I did enough to cross the finish line ahead of them,” said Williams, who took up triathlon in 2006.
Simon says: - Watch this guy, he's going to be the "big cheese" in Malaysian triathlon in a few years if he keeps it up.
Also, never will you meet a nicer guy. Say hi to him at the next event.
IT was a memorable debut for Christopher Micheal Williams in the final leg of the Trikidz triathlon at the public pool in Putrajaya recently.The 14-year-old from Alice Smith School clocked 35:21 to win the 300m swim, 10km cycle race and 3km run course in the boys’ 13 to 15 years category.
After a neck-and-neck contest against the runner-up Rikigoro Shinzuka in the 10km cycle race, Williams pulled away in the final running discipline and left Rikigoro trailing.
Rikigoro settled for second spot (35:54) while Mohd Zhairen Manam Zulkarnain came in third (37:18).
Pulling away: Williams moving ahead of his challengers in the final running leg.Williams said he was satisfied in scoring an unexpected victory over the two other more experienced competitors.
“We have been training together and we knew it was going to be a tough fight for the top three positions. I came out from the water fourth before moving up to the front of the pack in the third lap of the six-lap cycling segment. I felt the fatigue at the end of the running leg. But, I am glad that I did enough to cross the finish line ahead of them,” said Williams, who took up triathlon in 2006.
Simon says: - Watch this guy, he's going to be the "big cheese" in Malaysian triathlon in a few years if he keeps it up.
Also, never will you meet a nicer guy. Say hi to him at the next event.
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Alex Ferguson & Simon Grayson seen drinking together
(Courtesy of LeedsUtd365 & @mightyscoop - extracted from Twitter)
For all you Man United fans
Fergie and Simon Grayson are in a bar, after 3 drinks Simon says.. "You'd better piss off now it's the 4th round!"
For all you Man United fans
Fergie and Simon Grayson are in a bar, after 3 drinks Simon says.. "You'd better piss off now it's the 4th round!"
How busy is too busy?
(Courtesy of Denis [Gingerbreadman] and Training Peaks)
This is so cool. Hopefully it'll make some people think!
This is so cool. Hopefully it'll make some people think!
Monday, January 04, 2010
Leeds Utd 1 - Man Utd 0 (A day to savour)
(Courtesy of the BBC)
Jermaine Beckford's winner gave League One leaders Leeds a famous FA Cup victory over their fierce rivals Manchester United in a thrilling tie at Old Trafford.
Forty-two league places separate the two clubs following the Yorkshire club's dramatic fall from grace during the last decade but Simon Grayson's side showed the rate of their recent revival with a memorable triumph.
Man Utd had never before lost in the third round of the Cup - or been knocked out of it by a lower-division side - during Sir Alex Ferguson's 23-year reign as manager, but they began 2010 on the wrong end of their biggest upset in this competition since they were dumped out by Bournemouth in 1984.
Simon Grayson congratulates goal scorer Jermaine Beckford
It was a fully-deserved win for Leeds too, who were full of endeavour coming forward before Beckford outpaced the Man Utd defence to score and, just as importantly, defended as if their lives depended on it afterwards.
Grayson's men came into the game unbeaten in 15 games and having lost only twice all season but they were still expected to be brushed aside by the Premier League champions, who themselves have found form since their defensive injury crisis abated.
See full article here
Simon says: - I never watch football other than England in the world cup and the world cup final (not England for most of my life but we live in hope).
I can't say I am that interested in football nor do I have the time. However, seeing my team (since 1973), Leeds United against the mighty Manchester United and knowing the bitter rivalry over the years it was a MUST WATCH game - I resigned myself to an early night and a quick use of the "Off" button if things got too painful but as you will see, that wasn't called for and it was well worth watching.
Not only that Sofian, an avid MU fan sent me a congrats SMS this morning which was very sporting of him and quite unlike most of the interaction between most Leeds and MU supporters. Nice one Sofian - thanks.
Jermaine Beckford's winner gave League One leaders Leeds a famous FA Cup victory over their fierce rivals Manchester United in a thrilling tie at Old Trafford.Forty-two league places separate the two clubs following the Yorkshire club's dramatic fall from grace during the last decade but Simon Grayson's side showed the rate of their recent revival with a memorable triumph.
Man Utd had never before lost in the third round of the Cup - or been knocked out of it by a lower-division side - during Sir Alex Ferguson's 23-year reign as manager, but they began 2010 on the wrong end of their biggest upset in this competition since they were dumped out by Bournemouth in 1984.
Simon Grayson congratulates goal scorer Jermaine Beckford
It was a fully-deserved win for Leeds too, who were full of endeavour coming forward before Beckford outpaced the Man Utd defence to score and, just as importantly, defended as if their lives depended on it afterwards.
Grayson's men came into the game unbeaten in 15 games and having lost only twice all season but they were still expected to be brushed aside by the Premier League champions, who themselves have found form since their defensive injury crisis abated.
See full article here
Simon says: - I never watch football other than England in the world cup and the world cup final (not England for most of my life but we live in hope).
I can't say I am that interested in football nor do I have the time. However, seeing my team (since 1973), Leeds United against the mighty Manchester United and knowing the bitter rivalry over the years it was a MUST WATCH game - I resigned myself to an early night and a quick use of the "Off" button if things got too painful but as you will see, that wasn't called for and it was well worth watching.
Not only that Sofian, an avid MU fan sent me a congrats SMS this morning which was very sporting of him and quite unlike most of the interaction between most Leeds and MU supporters. Nice one Sofian - thanks.
Friday, January 01, 2010
Sid and Seb ride their bikes for the first time
Grandma and Granddad bought Sid and Seb their first ever bikes for Christmas.
The frames were a bit big but as Mummy and Daddy collected them from the shop like all good parents we were thinking of the long term and thought the boys would "grow into them".
Come Christmas day we were a bit worried that the boys wouldn't be able to use them for six months or so. Even after taking off the rear reflector and the rear mudguard in order to drop the saddle to the bare frame the boys could still barely touch the floor.
Consequently during Christmas we didn't overly encourage the boys to try them out as we were worried they might be put off. However, over New Year (and the boys birthday) we decided to take the bikes with us and see how they fared if the opportunity arose.
They had about 30seconds each with Daddy holding the saddle and then this!!!! Amazing or what?!!!
In fact if you have followed Sid and Seb's early exploits you'll see that Grandma and Granddad bought them a "Like a Bike" each two years ago. These are super little wooden bikes but without pedals and they teach toddlers to scoot along (at great speed mind you) and lift their feet and thus learning the fundamentals of riding a "proper" bike. This clearly helped Sid and Seb massively - even so I don't think either Shilpa or I expected them to pick it up this quick especially on over sized bikes.
Well done Sid and Seb.
Thanks "Like a Bike"
Thanks Grandma and Granddad.
The frames were a bit big but as Mummy and Daddy collected them from the shop like all good parents we were thinking of the long term and thought the boys would "grow into them".
Come Christmas day we were a bit worried that the boys wouldn't be able to use them for six months or so. Even after taking off the rear reflector and the rear mudguard in order to drop the saddle to the bare frame the boys could still barely touch the floor.
Consequently during Christmas we didn't overly encourage the boys to try them out as we were worried they might be put off. However, over New Year (and the boys birthday) we decided to take the bikes with us and see how they fared if the opportunity arose.
They had about 30seconds each with Daddy holding the saddle and then this!!!! Amazing or what?!!!
In fact if you have followed Sid and Seb's early exploits you'll see that Grandma and Granddad bought them a "Like a Bike" each two years ago. These are super little wooden bikes but without pedals and they teach toddlers to scoot along (at great speed mind you) and lift their feet and thus learning the fundamentals of riding a "proper" bike. This clearly helped Sid and Seb massively - even so I don't think either Shilpa or I expected them to pick it up this quick especially on over sized bikes.
Well done Sid and Seb.
Thanks "Like a Bike"
Thanks Grandma and Granddad.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Arthur C. Clarke
The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible.
Arthur C. Clarke
Simon says: - Now is this man talking about Ironman or what? We all know his most famous novel was "2001 Space Odyssey", however, his next book was "2010: Odyssey Two"...Mmmmmm! 2010, a coincidence do you think? I THINK NOT! Bring it on!
Oo oo! spooky, I just realised that I did my first Ironman in 2001 - aggghhhh! There is something really cosmic about all of this!
Arthur C. Clarke
Simon says: - Now is this man talking about Ironman or what? We all know his most famous novel was "2001 Space Odyssey", however, his next book was "2010: Odyssey Two"...Mmmmmm! 2010, a coincidence do you think? I THINK NOT! Bring it on!
Oo oo! spooky, I just realised that I did my first Ironman in 2001 - aggghhhh! There is something really cosmic about all of this!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
A quick update from Ngae
As many of you will know Ngae had a brain tumour removed soon after Langkawi Ironman this year. He's well and truly on the mend and has been seen in several events since then including Powerman.Ngae had a check up last week with MRI scans etc and was told to lay off the racing and have another check up in 3 months. He asked me to update his friends. He did say though that he will be in Langkawi supporting - so make sure you look out for him and give him a big cheer.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
NYC Half Marathon - Fresh Air Fund
Simon says: - Anyone thinking about doing the NYC Half Marathon - please consider representing the Fresh Air Fund. Sara sent me this email below and she works tirelessly to help underprivileged inner city kids. Have a look at the website at least - some great work going on there.
Hi Simon
I hope you're doing well this holiday season. The Fresh Air Fund is looking for runners and sponsors to join our Fresh Air Fund-Racers team for the NYC Half-Marathon this coming March 21st and I was hoping you might be able to post something about it on Tritwins to share with your readers. This is a great way to participate in NYC's premier summer road race while helping Fresh Air Fund children.
Over the last year, support from friends like you helped us give nearly 10,000 inner-city children country experiences that they're still talking about! We rely on donations this time of year to keep our programs strong for the summer months, and helping children is a cause that I'm sure your readers would be interested in. Please feel free to repost anything from our news site here:
http://freshairholiday.org
Please let me know if you are able to post or tweet and if you could send me the link that would be wonderful. Together we can help make sure these children have everything they need!
Thank you so much and have a happy holiday,
Sara
--
Sara Wilson,
The Fresh Air Fund
sara@freshair.org
www.freshair.org
Hi Simon
I hope you're doing well this holiday season. The Fresh Air Fund is looking for runners and sponsors to join our Fresh Air Fund-Racers team for the NYC Half-Marathon this coming March 21st and I was hoping you might be able to post something about it on Tritwins to share with your readers. This is a great way to participate in NYC's premier summer road race while helping Fresh Air Fund children.
Over the last year, support from friends like you helped us give nearly 10,000 inner-city children country experiences that they're still talking about! We rely on donations this time of year to keep our programs strong for the summer months, and helping children is a cause that I'm sure your readers would be interested in. Please feel free to repost anything from our news site here:
http://freshairholiday.org
Please let me know if you are able to post or tweet and if you could send me the link that would be wonderful. Together we can help make sure these children have everything they need!
Thank you so much and have a happy holiday,
Sara
--
Sara Wilson,
The Fresh Air Fund
sara@freshair.org
www.freshair.org
The storm that never came
(Courtesy of my lovely wife, Shilpa)
Simon woke up one fine morning with a huge hangover. He forced himself to open his eyes, and the first thing he saw is a couple of panadol and a glass of water on the side table. He sat down and sees his clothing in front of him, all clean and pressed.
Simon looks around the room and sees that it is in perfect order, spotless, clean. So is the rest of the house. He takes the pandadol and notices a note on the table. "Sweetie, breakfast is on the stove, I left early to go shopping. Love You!"
So he goes to the kitchen and sure enough there is a hot breakfast and the morning newspaper. His sons are also at the table, eating. Simon asks, "Boys, what happened last night?"
Sid says, "Well, you came home around 3 AM, drunk and delirious. Broke some furniture, puked in the hallway, and gave yourself a black eye when you stumbled into the door".
Totally Confused, Simon asks, "So, why is everything in order and so clean, and breakfast is on the table waiting for me? I should expect your mother to have 'put the face on' and a big argument!"
Seb replies, "Oh, that! Mum dragged you to the bedroom, and when she tried to take your clothes and shoes off, you said , "Hey!!!!!!! leave me alone! I'm married!"
Simon woke up one fine morning with a huge hangover. He forced himself to open his eyes, and the first thing he saw is a couple of panadol and a glass of water on the side table. He sat down and sees his clothing in front of him, all clean and pressed. Simon looks around the room and sees that it is in perfect order, spotless, clean. So is the rest of the house. He takes the pandadol and notices a note on the table. "Sweetie, breakfast is on the stove, I left early to go shopping. Love You!"
So he goes to the kitchen and sure enough there is a hot breakfast and the morning newspaper. His sons are also at the table, eating. Simon asks, "Boys, what happened last night?"
Sid says, "Well, you came home around 3 AM, drunk and delirious. Broke some furniture, puked in the hallway, and gave yourself a black eye when you stumbled into the door".
Totally Confused, Simon asks, "So, why is everything in order and so clean, and breakfast is on the table waiting for me? I should expect your mother to have 'put the face on' and a big argument!"
Seb replies, "Oh, that! Mum dragged you to the bedroom, and when she tried to take your clothes and shoes off, you said , "Hey!!!!!!! leave me alone! I'm married!"
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
OMG - Black Beauty - even more beautiful!
Not only did the Trek TT bike get the fastest bike split at Hawaii Ironman this year it is rumoured that the new Trek TT will be representing the US in the Miss World Competition next year due to its unrivalled beauty.
It's difficult to believe that so many people ride those other "tanks" from the north, especially considering not even one of them made it into the top 15 in Hawaii this year!!
In fact my good friend Patrick (Canadian) commented this weekend that he wouldn't ride a French bike anyway. I pointed out that they were Canadian and his retort was "Hmm! Probably French Canadian" and that seemed to settle it for him.
Anyway, I digress, having now offended just about every triathlete I know, Sam, Carmen, Disco Dave, Bee, Chris, KK, Emma, Jens, Keat Seong...the list goes on (everyone in Malaysia seems to have a Canadian bike). Also apologies to Johan (South Africa) and Bryan (Canada) but I thought you'd like to see what a gorgeous bike looks like when she's been pimped up with a set of USE Tula aero bars - once you've seen this I suspect the secondhand Canadian bike market is going to be flooded and Trek and USE websites jammed... ENJOY...(Check out the brake levers - I won't be able to stop of course but they look great which is the most important thing!).
I have been asked where I got these beauties from. USE is a British company and I bought them online in the UK (GBP458 incl. VAT) - not cheap by any means but even after paying VAT this was cheaper than the US, Australia or Singapore. Sam was an absolute star and very kindly arranged for his daughter to take delivery of them (thanks Sarah) and then carted them by hand from England to Malaysia, thanks Sam.
It's difficult to believe that so many people ride those other "tanks" from the north, especially considering not even one of them made it into the top 15 in Hawaii this year!!
In fact my good friend Patrick (Canadian) commented this weekend that he wouldn't ride a French bike anyway. I pointed out that they were Canadian and his retort was "Hmm! Probably French Canadian" and that seemed to settle it for him.
Anyway, I digress, having now offended just about every triathlete I know, Sam, Carmen, Disco Dave, Bee, Chris, KK, Emma, Jens, Keat Seong...the list goes on (everyone in Malaysia seems to have a Canadian bike). Also apologies to Johan (South Africa) and Bryan (Canada) but I thought you'd like to see what a gorgeous bike looks like when she's been pimped up with a set of USE Tula aero bars - once you've seen this I suspect the secondhand Canadian bike market is going to be flooded and Trek and USE websites jammed... ENJOY...(Check out the brake levers - I won't be able to stop of course but they look great which is the most important thing!).
I have been asked where I got these beauties from. USE is a British company and I bought them online in the UK (GBP458 incl. VAT) - not cheap by any means but even after paying VAT this was cheaper than the US, Australia or Singapore. Sam was an absolute star and very kindly arranged for his daughter to take delivery of them (thanks Sarah) and then carted them by hand from England to Malaysia, thanks Sam.
Sarawak International Triathlons
Very late I know but hey I've been very busy. Thanks to everyone for the photos by the way, greatly appreciated.
I’d decided earlier in the year that this weekend together with the KL Marathon and Powerman were going to be my big “FOCUS” races for 2009. So the Sprint Tri and Sunday’s Olympic Distance Tri were going to be biggies for me!
I’d decided to go on the early morning flight on Friday as it was a very cheap AirAsia flight and when I’d booked it there was a good chance that I’d get a game of golf in on Friday afternoon. As it turned out the golf had fallen through and I was beginning to regret the 5am wake up.
In the end it wasn’t so bad and I was checked in and asleep on the plane in no time. There were loads of other triathletes on the same flight which was cool. At Miri we were picked up by the organizers and the bikes loaded onto two lorries – very impressive organisation and service – every athlete got a free transfer to and from the airport with their bikes – nice touch by the organizers.
The bike was put together and stuff organized in no time at all. Had a “mechanic” emergency call from Elaine, between her, Disco Dave, Jason and Lydia they couldn’t put the derailleur back onto Elaine’s bike! With that fixed we all headed out to lunch – kindly driven by Jack and Eugene Chan. This finished with a McD’s McFlurry – HEAVEN.
Back at the hotel we agreed to meet up for a swim, ride and run to check out the water, gear and to make sure the body was firing on four cylinders. I’d finished my solo swim by the time everyone else turned up and I can tell you it was a bit nerve wracking as there had been reports of 4 crocodiles around the marina a few days earlier – I’m not sure whether local boy Jack was pulling my plonker but there had been a crocodile problem there a couple of years earlier so it was real enough for me.
With all the swims done we headed out on the bikes and over the dreaded “hill”. Fortunately the hill was far shorter than I remembered, although coming back was a bit tougher and longer. Job done and onto a quick 2K run to loosen the legs and the lungs.
The plan was then for an early dinner but I was still stuffed from lunch and decided to bail – mustn't overfeed as that is a sure fire way of screwing up a race. It was then that I got a call from Shilpa telling me that Seb had been rushed to hospital with a temperature of a 103!!! Oh my goodness, I felt helpless and wanted instantly to be transported home.
As it happened he was being a real brave little soldier and even spoke to me on the phone while the doctors and nurses were sponging him to try to get his temperature down. They gave him some medication and he was home by the time I got to sleep. His school had been closed due to a H1N1 outbreak that week so it was quite a worry – we never did find out whether it was that but he’s totally OK now thank goodness.
So to sleep. Zzzzzzzzzzz!
SPRINT DISTANCE RACE - Saturday
I’d had a great night’ sleep, spoke to Shilpa and the boys and had finished breakfast by 8:30. It was then that I started seeing all the “tri-stars” turning up for this big “money” race. There was RM80,000 (US$23,000) up for grabs over the weekend. Elmar (Austrian) had flown in from Europe, Frederich (Sweden), Rob (Australia) etc… Of course the usual suspects as well, Razani (Malaysia’s top triathlete), Shahrom (Asia’s top duathlete), Barry (Malaysia’s top junior triathlete) plus a whole load of other very fit and focused looking athletes.
I started getting the picture and resetting my expectations as Elmar is a Pro triathlete (albeit in my age-group) he came 3rd overall in Ironman Malaysia last year. I’d never come close to beating Razani in a triathlon (although I had beaten him a couple of weeks before in the Powerman Duathlon – he is a far better swimmer than me though). They were both doing the Sprint distance race too.
To my credit I’d been training very very hard and especially the swim over the last three months so I was going to give it my best shot and see what happened. I still had the ghosts of the Alpe d’Huez swim to exorcise and that still played on my mind a little. I needed to start out strong but not go anaerobic where I’d go into meltdown (not good in water). As it turned out I had a great swim, very strong (for me), I got to the turnaround and drafted behind a guy who was kicking his feet like crazy which made it very easy to follow and the draft made the swim reasonably effortless.
So onto the bike and back into my element, hit the hill and at the top I saw Razani and Kevin Chan descending – I put on the afterburners and overtook them soon after the descent – I was pretty surprised that they didn’t get on my wheel but then I was trying to avoid that.
Heading back I had about 40 seconds lead over Razani and needed to stretch that a bit if I was to hold on over the 5K run. I pushed hard, had a quick transition and was on the run in 7th place overall and 2nd in my age-group. Freddie, Elmar and Rob were too far ahead but a group with Barrie were about 500m ahead and I set about reeling them in.
I felt strong and fast with a good leg turnover and passed the group before the turnaround for home. With one K to go I looked behind and there was no one in sight so I backed right off and jogged to the finish. 2nd in my age-group and 4th overall – not only had I beaten Razani for the first time but also Shahrom! Wow, I had to be happy about that although I was only too aware that this was just the sprint and they were likely to have been taking it easy for tomorrow’s big event.
I joked with Shahrom that as I’d beaten him then he had to go back to transition and pick up my bike (about 2k away), can you believe it, as I was walking back he appears on his bike pushing mine along too with all my kit. What a great guy and a lovely gesture. I assured him that tomorrow I’d be collecting his bike in the race that really mattered – he said “we’ll see”!
That evening was the prize-giving and carbo-loading, there was so much prize-money that pretty much everyone I knew got something to take home. For 2nd place I got RM300 (US$85) so the hotel was paid for at least. Off to bed and a 5:30am wake up call.
Sprint Distance 750m Swim, 20k Bike, 5k Run - 1:02:18
OLYMPIC DISTANCE - Sunday
Four cups of coffee and a Powerbar is my traditional breakfast before a race, I don't like racing feeling "heavy" in my stomach. Bike set up and warm up swim done we then waited for the start. I'd had a good swim yesterday and was determined to do likewise today.
The gun went and it was the usual mad scramble to the first buoy. I soon saw Wong At Thiam (Malaysia's best Ironman) next to me and as we're similar on the bike and work well together I made it my mission to make sure I didn't lose him in the swim. Not much to report other than the training paid off and the swim was solid. Wong and I ran into T1 together and were soon rotating the lead on the bike (draft legal race). We were passing truckloads of people and none were able to stay with us which was reassuring.
We came across Razani and a big effort enabled us to drop his group. This were looking good, came across and dropped a couple more guys in my age-group and then at about 30k into the bike we came across Kevin Chan and a reasonably large group with a Czech guy in my age-group. Wong and I tried to drop them but they managed to hang on.
It soon became apparent that the Czech guy wasn't doing any work at the front (Kevin told me afterwards that he literally sat in the pack the whole way and didn't even make a token effort at the front.) I tried to encourage the guy to do something and then I must admit I started being pretty damn rude to him about it. The guy was thick skinned or what! Being too weak to take your turn at the front or simply playing the "smart" game and saving yourself for a win on the run are both understandable but you do a token effort come what may - certainly if you expect to retain any respect from your fellow athletes and friends.
Eventually the hill came and went and the pack rolled towards T2. I moved to the front to ensure I didn't get held up in the transition and was out on the run ahead of everyone else in the pack.
The run was 8.5k, pancake flat but darn hot. Elmar was long gone, Razani was somewhere behind and the Czech guy was on my heels. Mmmm! Running scared as I've often said before is not a bad thing provided you use it as a positive. I felt strong and my cadence was high. I'd left transition with two relay guys, both of which ran away from me but after a while I started reeling one of them in again. Always good to have a rabbit in sight.
At the first turnaround I saw the Czech guy, Wong and everyone else that were in the bike pack, they were way back and only after only 2k of the run. I knew Razani was a very very talented runner though and that thought kept me "scared". At the next turnaround I knew I had about 2.5k to go and 2nd place in my age-group was in the bag. Now I could enjoy it. I crossed the line 6th overall, feeling brilliant and without having to collapse on the ground for 20 minutes. Now that's unusual for me but a nice feeling for a change.
I hung around and watched loads of buddies finishing, everyone seemed to have a great race judging by the smiles on their faces.
As I headed off to get my bike, Wong said, don't worry Shahrom's got it. True to the "deal" he brought my bike back again! What a smashing bloke, the first day was a bit of fun but to do it twice was a real cool thing to do. Probably the last time I'll ever beat him though so I'd better get prepared for bike collecting, bike washing and shoe cleaning duties for the rest of my life...he probably was just sucking me in hahaha.
Prize-giving was cool, again just about everyone I knew got prizes. I got RM2,000 (US$585) not bad for a day of fun!
Olympic Distance Race 1,400m Swim, 37k Bike, 8.5k Run - 1:52:29
This is a really great venue, fantastically friendly people and organisers, great course (although should be stretched out to full Olympic Distance next year in my opinion). They announced that the prize money would be increased to RM100,000 next year - WOW, that's a lot of money for an amateur race. I think the dates do clash with Powernman though (hopefully I'm wrong or at least the dates will be changed).
Two small moans though - 1)I was third in line and it took me 25minutes to pay my entry fee - it was farcical bureaucracy at it's worst. You couldn't pay for both races at once, you couldn't pay online and each payment had to have a receipt written out longhand whether you wanted it or not. 2)Now this is a big worry - as I was driving back from the airport I felt some terrible itching on my back. By the next morning I had welts all over my back, chest, pelvis and legs.
In the end I had to go to the clinic where they gave me an injection of cortisone and antihistamines plus a bucket load of tablets and a huge pot of cream. This was more than two weeks ago and I'm still suffering with bad itching and some welts on my back - very very unpleasant.
Having swam three days in a row on the marina it is clear that the effluent and chemicals released from the boats and goodness only knows what other chemical and waste released upriver all combined to a pretty toxic swim. The organisers need to do some water quality tests and try to establish the problem and they need to do this now. I for one will need some reassurance on this front before I go back next year. (I wasn't the only one suffering from these symptoms by the way).
The moans aside - great weekend, great races, great venue, great organisation, GREAT FUN.
I’d decided earlier in the year that this weekend together with the KL Marathon and Powerman were going to be my big “FOCUS” races for 2009. So the Sprint Tri and Sunday’s Olympic Distance Tri were going to be biggies for me!I’d decided to go on the early morning flight on Friday as it was a very cheap AirAsia flight and when I’d booked it there was a good chance that I’d get a game of golf in on Friday afternoon. As it turned out the golf had fallen through and I was beginning to regret the 5am wake up.
In the end it wasn’t so bad and I was checked in and asleep on the plane in no time. There were loads of other triathletes on the same flight which was cool. At Miri we were picked up by the organizers and the bikes loaded onto two lorries – very impressive organisation and service – every athlete got a free transfer to and from the airport with their bikes – nice touch by the organizers.The bike was put together and stuff organized in no time at all. Had a “mechanic” emergency call from Elaine, between her, Disco Dave, Jason and Lydia they couldn’t put the derailleur back onto Elaine’s bike! With that fixed we all headed out to lunch – kindly driven by Jack and Eugene Chan. This finished with a McD’s McFlurry – HEAVEN.
Back at the hotel we agreed to meet up for a swim, ride and run to check out the water, gear and to make sure the body was firing on four cylinders. I’d finished my solo swim by the time everyone else turned up and I can tell you it was a bit nerve wracking as there had been reports of 4 crocodiles around the marina a few days earlier – I’m not sure whether local boy Jack was pulling my plonker but there had been a crocodile problem there a couple of years earlier so it was real enough for me.
With all the swims done we headed out on the bikes and over the dreaded “hill”. Fortunately the hill was far shorter than I remembered, although coming back was a bit tougher and longer. Job done and onto a quick 2K run to loosen the legs and the lungs.
The plan was then for an early dinner but I was still stuffed from lunch and decided to bail – mustn't overfeed as that is a sure fire way of screwing up a race. It was then that I got a call from Shilpa telling me that Seb had been rushed to hospital with a temperature of a 103!!! Oh my goodness, I felt helpless and wanted instantly to be transported home.
As it happened he was being a real brave little soldier and even spoke to me on the phone while the doctors and nurses were sponging him to try to get his temperature down. They gave him some medication and he was home by the time I got to sleep. His school had been closed due to a H1N1 outbreak that week so it was quite a worry – we never did find out whether it was that but he’s totally OK now thank goodness.
So to sleep. Zzzzzzzzzzz!
SPRINT DISTANCE RACE - Saturday
I’d had a great night’ sleep, spoke to Shilpa and the boys and had finished breakfast by 8:30. It was then that I started seeing all the “tri-stars” turning up for this big “money” race. There was RM80,000 (US$23,000) up for grabs over the weekend. Elmar (Austrian) had flown in from Europe, Frederich (Sweden), Rob (Australia) etc… Of course the usual suspects as well, Razani (Malaysia’s top triathlete), Shahrom (Asia’s top duathlete), Barry (Malaysia’s top junior triathlete) plus a whole load of other very fit and focused looking athletes.
I started getting the picture and resetting my expectations as Elmar is a Pro triathlete (albeit in my age-group) he came 3rd overall in Ironman Malaysia last year. I’d never come close to beating Razani in a triathlon (although I had beaten him a couple of weeks before in the Powerman Duathlon – he is a far better swimmer than me though). They were both doing the Sprint distance race too.
To my credit I’d been training very very hard and especially the swim over the last three months so I was going to give it my best shot and see what happened. I still had the ghosts of the Alpe d’Huez swim to exorcise and that still played on my mind a little. I needed to start out strong but not go anaerobic where I’d go into meltdown (not good in water). As it turned out I had a great swim, very strong (for me), I got to the turnaround and drafted behind a guy who was kicking his feet like crazy which made it very easy to follow and the draft made the swim reasonably effortless.
So onto the bike and back into my element, hit the hill and at the top I saw Razani and Kevin Chan descending – I put on the afterburners and overtook them soon after the descent – I was pretty surprised that they didn’t get on my wheel but then I was trying to avoid that.
Heading back I had about 40 seconds lead over Razani and needed to stretch that a bit if I was to hold on over the 5K run. I pushed hard, had a quick transition and was on the run in 7th place overall and 2nd in my age-group. Freddie, Elmar and Rob were too far ahead but a group with Barrie were about 500m ahead and I set about reeling them in.I felt strong and fast with a good leg turnover and passed the group before the turnaround for home. With one K to go I looked behind and there was no one in sight so I backed right off and jogged to the finish. 2nd in my age-group and 4th overall – not only had I beaten Razani for the first time but also Shahrom! Wow, I had to be happy about that although I was only too aware that this was just the sprint and they were likely to have been taking it easy for tomorrow’s big event.
I joked with Shahrom that as I’d beaten him then he had to go back to transition and pick up my bike (about 2k away), can you believe it, as I was walking back he appears on his bike pushing mine along too with all my kit. What a great guy and a lovely gesture. I assured him that tomorrow I’d be collecting his bike in the race that really mattered – he said “we’ll see”!
That evening was the prize-giving and carbo-loading, there was so much prize-money that pretty much everyone I knew got something to take home. For 2nd place I got RM300 (US$85) so the hotel was paid for at least. Off to bed and a 5:30am wake up call.Sprint Distance 750m Swim, 20k Bike, 5k Run - 1:02:18
OLYMPIC DISTANCE - Sunday
Four cups of coffee and a Powerbar is my traditional breakfast before a race, I don't like racing feeling "heavy" in my stomach. Bike set up and warm up swim done we then waited for the start. I'd had a good swim yesterday and was determined to do likewise today.The gun went and it was the usual mad scramble to the first buoy. I soon saw Wong At Thiam (Malaysia's best Ironman) next to me and as we're similar on the bike and work well together I made it my mission to make sure I didn't lose him in the swim. Not much to report other than the training paid off and the swim was solid. Wong and I ran into T1 together and were soon rotating the lead on the bike (draft legal race). We were passing truckloads of people and none were able to stay with us which was reassuring.
We came across Razani and a big effort enabled us to drop his group. This were looking good, came across and dropped a couple more guys in my age-group and then at about 30k into the bike we came across Kevin Chan and a reasonably large group with a Czech guy in my age-group. Wong and I tried to drop them but they managed to hang on.
It soon became apparent that the Czech guy wasn't doing any work at the front (Kevin told me afterwards that he literally sat in the pack the whole way and didn't even make a token effort at the front.) I tried to encourage the guy to do something and then I must admit I started being pretty damn rude to him about it. The guy was thick skinned or what! Being too weak to take your turn at the front or simply playing the "smart" game and saving yourself for a win on the run are both understandable but you do a token effort come what may - certainly if you expect to retain any respect from your fellow athletes and friends.
Eventually the hill came and went and the pack rolled towards T2. I moved to the front to ensure I didn't get held up in the transition and was out on the run ahead of everyone else in the pack.
The run was 8.5k, pancake flat but darn hot. Elmar was long gone, Razani was somewhere behind and the Czech guy was on my heels. Mmmm! Running scared as I've often said before is not a bad thing provided you use it as a positive. I felt strong and my cadence was high. I'd left transition with two relay guys, both of which ran away from me but after a while I started reeling one of them in again. Always good to have a rabbit in sight.
At the first turnaround I saw the Czech guy, Wong and everyone else that were in the bike pack, they were way back and only after only 2k of the run. I knew Razani was a very very talented runner though and that thought kept me "scared". At the next turnaround I knew I had about 2.5k to go and 2nd place in my age-group was in the bag. Now I could enjoy it. I crossed the line 6th overall, feeling brilliant and without having to collapse on the ground for 20 minutes. Now that's unusual for me but a nice feeling for a change.
I hung around and watched loads of buddies finishing, everyone seemed to have a great race judging by the smiles on their faces.
As I headed off to get my bike, Wong said, don't worry Shahrom's got it. True to the "deal" he brought my bike back again! What a smashing bloke, the first day was a bit of fun but to do it twice was a real cool thing to do. Probably the last time I'll ever beat him though so I'd better get prepared for bike collecting, bike washing and shoe cleaning duties for the rest of my life...he probably was just sucking me in hahaha.
Prize-giving was cool, again just about everyone I knew got prizes. I got RM2,000 (US$585) not bad for a day of fun!Olympic Distance Race 1,400m Swim, 37k Bike, 8.5k Run - 1:52:29
This is a really great venue, fantastically friendly people and organisers, great course (although should be stretched out to full Olympic Distance next year in my opinion). They announced that the prize money would be increased to RM100,000 next year - WOW, that's a lot of money for an amateur race. I think the dates do clash with Powernman though (hopefully I'm wrong or at least the dates will be changed).Two small moans though - 1)I was third in line and it took me 25minutes to pay my entry fee - it was farcical bureaucracy at it's worst. You couldn't pay for both races at once, you couldn't pay online and each payment had to have a receipt written out longhand whether you wanted it or not. 2)Now this is a big worry - as I was driving back from the airport I felt some terrible itching on my back. By the next morning I had welts all over my back, chest, pelvis and legs.
In the end I had to go to the clinic where they gave me an injection of cortisone and antihistamines plus a bucket load of tablets and a huge pot of cream. This was more than two weeks ago and I'm still suffering with bad itching and some welts on my back - very very unpleasant.
Having swam three days in a row on the marina it is clear that the effluent and chemicals released from the boats and goodness only knows what other chemical and waste released upriver all combined to a pretty toxic swim. The organisers need to do some water quality tests and try to establish the problem and they need to do this now. I for one will need some reassurance on this front before I go back next year. (I wasn't the only one suffering from these symptoms by the way).
The moans aside - great weekend, great races, great venue, great organisation, GREAT FUN.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Rudy did it!
(Courtesy of Sam)
This is from Cherie Gruenfeld 8 time, IM Hawaii age group world champion.
________________________________________
I'm sometimes asked where I find my inspiration and my answer has always been the same: While I admire the professional racers for their amazing athletic talents, my true inspiration comes from the amateur athlete who must over com e daily obstacles and challenges in his or her life. This group includes moms and dads raising a family, the older athlete fighting against the clock, and the physically challenged.
Last weekend I witnessed an inspirational moment that tops all others. Rudy Garcia-Tolson became the first double above-the-knee amputee to finish an Ironman. Rudy, who is twenty-one, has been a friend of mine since he was seven, so I've had the privilege of following the journey that led this amazing young man to his first Ironman finish line.
In 1995 I was swimming in a pool when I discovered I'd been joined in my lane. I quickly noticed that this fellow-swimmer was different from me in several ways: He was moving at the speed of a torpedo; he was a very young kid; and he had no legs. That was my introduction to Rudy and, on that day, I learned his story. Rudy was born with a disease that left him with useless legs. After 12 unsuccessful surgeries by the age of 5, he was told that he would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Imagine the courage for a five year old to say…”Cut ‘em off.”
I fell in love with this kid and his family. There were three able-bodied children in the family and Rudy, who was a bundle of energy and kept them all jumping. And with prosthetic legs, he was a study in constant motion. When I met him, he was already exhibiting signs of great athletic ability and excelling in the swimming pool. I shared with him my experiences as an Ironman athlete and several months later he and I did a triathlon. We raced as a relay team: Rudy swam, his older brother biked and I ran. The seed was planted.
With his spunk and positive attitude, Rudy won hearts everywhere he went and soon he had major supporters including Terry Martin from Power Bar and Bob Babbitt from the Challenged Athletes Foundation. Rudy was in good hands and his career as a challenged athlete took off. He began racking up swimming titles and world records, ran a 6-minute mile and started riding a bike.
And another thing happened: Rudy discovered that he had become a role model. Somewhere there were other kids being condemned to a life in a wheelchair or being told that an amputation or other physical challenge meant an end to an active life. Rudy realized that with his success came great responsibility and, as with all challenges in his life, he was happy to take this one on.
Rudy has proved himself to be one of the world's top challenged swimmers, owning three Paralympic medals (2 gold and 1 bronze). Now Rudy had another dream. He wanted to be the first double above-the-knee to finish the Ironman World Championships in Kona. Rudy's motto is: “A brave heart is a powerful weapon”. His brave heart had helped him accomplish every tough goal he'd ever taken on. But the question remained (for everyone except Rudy): Can someone without quads or hamstrings cycle 112 miles through winds and over hills? Is it possible? In October, Rudy made the attempt on the Kona course and came up short when he missed the bike cut-off time by a few minutes. This wasn't failure – it was simply a deferral of success. Being an impatient man, Rudy took the lessons he'd learned in Kona and went to the Arizona Ironman in November.
On race day his goggles broke seconds before the cannon started the race. No problem – he swam 2.4 miles without them. On the bike he got a flat. No problem – he fixed it and moved on. He was fighting against a 5:30 p.m. deadline on the bike. No problem – he finished 112 miles with thirty minutes to spare.
Then came the run. The focus of Rudy's training had been on the bike, which was to have been his biggest challenge. He'd never run a marathon before. No problem – the kid is a good runner and he's got a brave heart.
However, during the marathon Rudy had some of the darkest moments he's had in his athletic life. Those who saw him during those moments wondered if this was perhaps not possible. Those who knew him didn't know how he was going to do it, but knew that he somehow would.
With three miles to go, somewhere deep inside, he remembered all those kids who were looking to him to see what was possible in their lives. And he picked up his body, which moments before had been betraying him, and he didn't just run the last three miles – he blazed, passing other runners on the course who had given up on him. He raced to the finish line where thousands who had been waiting for this moment watched with tears of joy and amazement. Rudy's performance that day not only changed his life: It changed the life of physically challenged people all over the world.
Next goal: Go back and do it in Kona where it'll be tougher. But I wouldn't bet against Rudy.
I'm proud to call him my friend and my inspiration.
Simon says: - What is there say? Truly inspirational, we are insignificant compared to guys like this.
This is from Cherie Gruenfeld 8 time, IM Hawaii age group world champion.
________________________________________
I'm sometimes asked where I find my inspiration and my answer has always been the same: While I admire the professional racers for their amazing athletic talents, my true inspiration comes from the amateur athlete who must over com e daily obstacles and challenges in his or her life. This group includes moms and dads raising a family, the older athlete fighting against the clock, and the physically challenged.Last weekend I witnessed an inspirational moment that tops all others. Rudy Garcia-Tolson became the first double above-the-knee amputee to finish an Ironman. Rudy, who is twenty-one, has been a friend of mine since he was seven, so I've had the privilege of following the journey that led this amazing young man to his first Ironman finish line.
In 1995 I was swimming in a pool when I discovered I'd been joined in my lane. I quickly noticed that this fellow-swimmer was different from me in several ways: He was moving at the speed of a torpedo; he was a very young kid; and he had no legs. That was my introduction to Rudy and, on that day, I learned his story. Rudy was born with a disease that left him with useless legs. After 12 unsuccessful surgeries by the age of 5, he was told that he would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Imagine the courage for a five year old to say…”Cut ‘em off.”
I fell in love with this kid and his family. There were three able-bodied children in the family and Rudy, who was a bundle of energy and kept them all jumping. And with prosthetic legs, he was a study in constant motion. When I met him, he was already exhibiting signs of great athletic ability and excelling in the swimming pool. I shared with him my experiences as an Ironman athlete and several months later he and I did a triathlon. We raced as a relay team: Rudy swam, his older brother biked and I ran. The seed was planted.
With his spunk and positive attitude, Rudy won hearts everywhere he went and soon he had major supporters including Terry Martin from Power Bar and Bob Babbitt from the Challenged Athletes Foundation. Rudy was in good hands and his career as a challenged athlete took off. He began racking up swimming titles and world records, ran a 6-minute mile and started riding a bike.
And another thing happened: Rudy discovered that he had become a role model. Somewhere there were other kids being condemned to a life in a wheelchair or being told that an amputation or other physical challenge meant an end to an active life. Rudy realized that with his success came great responsibility and, as with all challenges in his life, he was happy to take this one on.
Rudy has proved himself to be one of the world's top challenged swimmers, owning three Paralympic medals (2 gold and 1 bronze). Now Rudy had another dream. He wanted to be the first double above-the-knee to finish the Ironman World Championships in Kona. Rudy's motto is: “A brave heart is a powerful weapon”. His brave heart had helped him accomplish every tough goal he'd ever taken on. But the question remained (for everyone except Rudy): Can someone without quads or hamstrings cycle 112 miles through winds and over hills? Is it possible? In October, Rudy made the attempt on the Kona course and came up short when he missed the bike cut-off time by a few minutes. This wasn't failure – it was simply a deferral of success. Being an impatient man, Rudy took the lessons he'd learned in Kona and went to the Arizona Ironman in November.
On race day his goggles broke seconds before the cannon started the race. No problem – he swam 2.4 miles without them. On the bike he got a flat. No problem – he fixed it and moved on. He was fighting against a 5:30 p.m. deadline on the bike. No problem – he finished 112 miles with thirty minutes to spare.
Then came the run. The focus of Rudy's training had been on the bike, which was to have been his biggest challenge. He'd never run a marathon before. No problem – the kid is a good runner and he's got a brave heart.
However, during the marathon Rudy had some of the darkest moments he's had in his athletic life. Those who saw him during those moments wondered if this was perhaps not possible. Those who knew him didn't know how he was going to do it, but knew that he somehow would.
With three miles to go, somewhere deep inside, he remembered all those kids who were looking to him to see what was possible in their lives. And he picked up his body, which moments before had been betraying him, and he didn't just run the last three miles – he blazed, passing other runners on the course who had given up on him. He raced to the finish line where thousands who had been waiting for this moment watched with tears of joy and amazement. Rudy's performance that day not only changed his life: It changed the life of physically challenged people all over the world.
Next goal: Go back and do it in Kona where it'll be tougher. But I wouldn't bet against Rudy.
I'm proud to call him my friend and my inspiration.
Simon says: - What is there say? Truly inspirational, we are insignificant compared to guys like this.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Do you have Athlete's Heart Syndrome?
(Courtesy of my buddy Tristemmet and Dr Larry's Blog Page)
Simon says: - "A buddy of mine recently had a bit of a scare when his doctor told him his heart rate was seriously low and needed to visit a cardiologist. My resting heart rate dances around 38-41 and during my annual medical check up they always give me an "A" rating for everything but a "B" rating for my unusually low heart rate!!!! It doesn't seem to matter how much I explain to them what I've been doing over the years to get my heart rate that low they still give me a "B".
From what I can work out, if you have blood pressure problems, dizzy spells, a irregular heart beat or palpitations then you should get it looked at. If on the other hand your overweight, cigarette smoking, pizza eating, beer guzzling doctor doesn't understand what a fit heart is supposed to do then I suggest you do see another doctor PERMANENTLY."
Check out the link below.
Athletes Heart Syndrome
.
.
Simon says: - "A buddy of mine recently had a bit of a scare when his doctor told him his heart rate was seriously low and needed to visit a cardiologist. My resting heart rate dances around 38-41 and during my annual medical check up they always give me an "A" rating for everything but a "B" rating for my unusually low heart rate!!!! It doesn't seem to matter how much I explain to them what I've been doing over the years to get my heart rate that low they still give me a "B".From what I can work out, if you have blood pressure problems, dizzy spells, a irregular heart beat or palpitations then you should get it looked at. If on the other hand your overweight, cigarette smoking, pizza eating, beer guzzling doctor doesn't understand what a fit heart is supposed to do then I suggest you do see another doctor PERMANENTLY."
Check out the link below.
Athletes Heart Syndrome
.
.
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